Bele虂n Yudess 鈥�25 (left) and Abbie Oh Arroyo 鈥�25 (right)
By Kendra Pintor听
It started with a simple idea: give back to the place that鈥檚 meant so much.听
For Bel茅n Yudess 鈥�25 and Abbie Oh Arroyo 鈥�25, co-presidents of the 桃子视频 Class of 2025, that idea turned into a movement. In the weeks leading up to Scripps鈥� annual Day of Giving, the two seniors set an ambitious goal鈥攔ally their peers to give back in record numbers. Their goal was personal, tangible, and deeply rooted in community: fund a new water bottle filling station in Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler (GJW) Residence Hall, a space many seniors had called home.听
What happened next surprised even them.听
On March 26, more than 80 students鈥攊ncluding over 70 seniors鈥攋oined the cause, marking the highest level of student participation in Day of Giving history. Their efforts helped fully fund a new water bottle filling station in Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler (GJW) Residence Hall鈥攁 project supported by both the senior class and the broader Scripps community.听
听鈥淭his year鈥檚 Day of Giving marked a real change,鈥� says Karina Chappell, director of development and major gifts. 鈥淪tudent giving, especially from seniors, showed that philanthropy is becoming part of the culture here. These students are thinking beyond their time at Scripps, and that鈥檚 powerful.鈥�听
鈥淎bbie and I both lived in GJW and bonded over our shared year of dehydration in that dorm,” says Yudess. 鈥淲hen it came time to brainstorm ideas for our senior gift, we jokingly suggested a water bottle filling station鈥攕omething everyone who鈥檚 lived there talks about. When we brought the idea to leadership, they encouraged us to pursue it, so we did. Our class is also really passionate about sustainability, and this felt like a great way to support that. Seeing our goal matched and doubled meant a lot鈥攊t showed that this was truly a collective effort our class believed in.鈥�听
鈥淏el茅n, Abbie, and the senior class brought incredible energy,鈥� says Jessica Wang PZ鈥�22, coordinator of student campaigns and The Scripps Fund. 鈥淭heir support for the GJW project showed how much they care about their class and about the students who鈥檒l come next.鈥�听
The significance of this philanthropic shift hasn鈥檛 gone unnoticed. To recognize student donors, the College plans to host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at GJW and will introduce a new Commencement tradition: seniors who donated will receive silver philanthropy cords to wear as a symbol of their generosity and commitment to Scripps students.听
鈥淭his year鈥檚 success comes from students taking the lead,鈥� says Leadership Annual Giving Officer Christine Camacho. 鈥淭he silver cords recognize not just their generosity, but their role in shaping what they want giving to look like at Scripps.鈥�听
鈥淚 think our class really embraced this initiative because they knew it would leave a positive impact on future generations of Scripps students,鈥� says Yudess. 鈥淓ven though Abbie and I did our best to get people excited, the energy and enthusiasm was entirely driven by our class.鈥�听
Day of Giving was more than just a fundraiser鈥攊t was a celebration of community. On-campus activities like trivia wheels and scavenger hunts encouraged participation and raised awareness. Matching challenges helped amplify the impact of each gift, including a 4:1 student match that was fully met within the first few hours.听听
Behind the scenes, nearly 30 staff, students, and faculty collaborated to pull off the day鈥檚 success. The result was a series of powerful campus partnerships and a campaign that reflected the College鈥檚 core values of inclusion, sustainability, access, and innovation.听听
As Scripps looks toward its centennial in 2026, this year鈥檚 Day of Giving offers a glimpse of the future: one where students are at the forefront of generosity in action. The Class of 2025鈥檚 example demonstrates the growing power of peer leadership and mutual support鈥攙alues that will continue to shape the College for generations to come.听
鈥淚 hope Scripps students continue to fundraise and support the efforts they believe are important to the Scripps experience,鈥� says Yudess. 鈥淎 lot of our peers have been involved in areas like Denison Library and Student Investment Fund, which were part of this year鈥檚 Day of Giving campaign. Many of them will want to continue supporting those programs however they can鈥攊ncluding through philanthropy.鈥�听
To see the full results of Day of Giving 2025, visit the campaign site鈥�.听